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Summer Of Soul Context

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In 1969, the black community of Harlem were in desperate need of a win. With John F. Kennedy dying in 1963, Malcolm X in 65, and Martin Luther King Junior in 68, spirits were low and people were angry. As shown in the documentary, Summer of Soul, Tony Lawrence decided to host a massive music/cultural festival in Harlem over the course of six weeks that would feature the biggest and best black musicians and performers of the time. While it had been recorded, the recordings had never been made into a movie until 2021 with Summer of Soul. Summer of Soul provides social and political context through art, and also shows that by coming together as a community in a spirit of rejoicing, people can bring about positive change for those who are marginalized and can also bring hope to their futures. Summer of Soul does an excellent job of providing illumination through information and also the historical and political context about the state of Harlem and the people of Harlem in 1969. The black community were angry and scared because too many of their leaders had been murdered in the last decade. The …show more content…

Throughout Summer of Soul, a wide variety of music genres are played, including blues, jazz, soul, R&B, gospel, rock, and pop. Thousands of people attended this festival over the course of six weeks, often completely filling Mount Morris Park. As stated in the film, some people came to see their favorite musician/artist. The festival featured a wide range of performers including Mahalia Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, The 5th Dimension, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, and many others. Others came just to be a part of such a culturally and historically important event where they could be around thousands of other black people who were feeling the same discouragement from current political issues and recent

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